NORTHWESTERN WILDCATS

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Sept. 27, 1997

Boilermakers Beat Northwestern, 21-9

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - Bruce Dicken threw for 200 yards and two touchdowns and Mike
Rose had three interceptions, including one for a score, as
Purdue defeated Big Ten Conference foe Northwestern, 21-9, for
its first three-game winning streak in 13 years.

Dicken completed 19-of-33 passes, including scoring tosses of
six yards to Donald Winston in the first quarter and five yards
to Brian Alford late in the third quarter. He also rushed for
62 yards on seven carries.

The Boilermakers (3-1, 0-1 Big Ten) led by a point in the second
quarter when Rose, a sophomore linebacker, stepped in front of a
pass over the middle by Tim Hughes and picked it off. He
followed blockers up the middle of the field before breaking to
his right and into the end zone, giving Purdue a 14-6 advantage
with 5:18 left in the half.

A 39-yard field goal by Brian Gowins -- his third of the game
and 11th of the season -- closed Northwestern (2-3, 0-1) within
13-9 at halftime. But the two-time defending Big Ten champion
Wildcats were shut out in the second half, losing for the third
time in four games.

Kendall Matthews had a career-high 152 yards on 22 carries for
Purdue, which had not won three straight games since 1984, when
Leon Burtnett guided the squad to the Peach Bowl, its last
postseason appearance.

The Boilermakers snapped a three-game skid to the Wildcats and
under new coach Joe Tiller are off to their best start since
1994, when they went 4-1 but finished 5-4-2.

Adrian Autry had 130 yards on 24 carries but Hughes was just
13-of-34 for 148 yards and three interceptions. Northwestern,
which was 15-1 in the Big Ten over the last two seasons, has
lost 16 of its last 20 meetings with Purdue and fell to 23-41-1
in the all-time series.